Estonian authorities seized a large sum of cash from two 18-year-old citizens of Latvia as they were unable to convincingly explain the origin of the funds.
The incident, which the Estonian Tax and Customs Board reported to the media on March 24, occurred at the end of February on the Tallinn-Pärnu-Ikla highway, where officers from the mobile customs control unit stopped a Mercedes car with Latvian license plates for inspection. Inside the vehicle were two 18-year-old citizens of Latvia, whose trip ended with an interrogation after a detailed inspection of the vehicle.
During the inspection, two ordinary plastic bags filled to the brim with bundles of banknotes were found on the back seat of the car. Additional cash was hidden in the glove compartment. In total, customs officials counted 110,210 euros.
The young men were unable to provide a plausible explanation for where they obtained such an amount and why they were transporting it across the border. As a result, all the cash was seized and taken for safekeeping.
To date, the Estonian Money Laundering Information Bureau has imposed an official restriction on the use of the funds. An investigation is underway on suspicion of money laundering.
